Ireland/Scotland Trip - Day 5 Ireland to Scotland

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Edinburgh Castle

Going to bed at 3am this morning did not make me less tired than before. I am glad I get to sleep for the hour in the car back to Dublin and then again on the hour flight between Dublin and Scotland. And that sleep was enough to make me feel better once we arrived in BEAUTIFUL Edinburgh. This is now on the top of my list of favorite cities.

Goodbye Ireland, on to Scotland

The flight was on a propeller plane. My first ever. We landed in Edinburgh and took a taxi to our hotel.

We are staying at The Scotsman which is perfectly situated just off the Royal Mile in the Old Town. Everything that we would ever want to see, do, eat or drink is a short walk away. I do have a couple complaints about the hotel but I would also still stay here again so in the end I guess you could say I recommend it. The complaints I have are that the towel rack in the bathroom is constantly on so it is like a sauna in there. Also, that rack is located next to the toilet so if you don't watch yourself, you can burn your knee. It looks like many people before me had the same issue because the toilet seat is falling off the toilet. The rooms are also pretty warm. So much that I had to take the duvet out of the cover and sleep with only the cover like it was a sheet. The final complaint is the breakfast which is ....just fine. I expect glorious breakfasts. But maybe this is a Scottish thing and not just a hotel thing.

View looking up The Royal Mile towards the castle

That aside, the location of this hotel is unbeatable. We checked in, dropped off our stuff and took a walk up the Royal Mile to the Edinburgh Castle. The Royal Mile is a mile long stretch of street that links the castle on one end to Holyrood House on the other end. We will visit both these places and a bit more while we are here. For now we just took lots of pictures because it was relatively devoid of tourists at the moment. If you come to Edinburgh, I am learning from my family, during the Fringe, everything is crammed with people everywhere you go. So I am happy that we sort of have the town to ourselves. The weather has been holding for us as well. I have many times during the day that I am downright HOT. There is a lot to see along The Royal Mile in our area. The first thing I did was stop at the city council to put my big meat hands in JK Rowling's dainty golden hand prints. The city council is a pedestrian square directly off the Royal Mile. There are various hand prints painted in gold from people who have had a positive impact on the city of Edinburgh. Along with JK Rowling, I was pleased to see, was Ian Rankin's hands. In fact he was right next to her. I happen to be reading Ian Rankin's book Mortal Causes. I chose this book because it is a mystery set in Edinburgh.

Ian Rankin's hands

A personal hero of mine, JK Rowling's hands.

Me and JK Rowling's hands....together!

There are many statues along this street as well as a cathedral and some monuments. When we passed the statue of David Hume, the philosopher, we made sure to rub his shiny toe for good luck. I quite liked the monument with the unicorn on the top called the Mercat Cross. The unicorn is Scotland's national animal.

Mercat Cross with the Unicorn on top.

Hume and his shiny toe.

We took our time walking back down from the castle towards our hotel looking in the shops and reading the various menus. We have all eaten so darn much that a fancy restaurant was out of the question. We all felt like a light pub dinner. It was decided that we would start with a pre-dinner drink at Deacon Brodies Tavern. I normally have a cider because I love hard cider. This pub offered a cider that I have never heard of before. It is called Thistly Cross Elderflower Cider. It is the tastiest cider I have ever had. I want to bring kegs of this stuff home. It is tangy and sweet and a little tart with a slight floral aroma. Oh man, I am thirsty just thinking about it.

Deacon Brodie's Tavern

Mmmmm MMMM! I love Elderflower Cider.

After the drink we walked down more of the Royal Mile to The Whiski Bar where we had dinner. This place has a cozy atmosphere of dead animals on the walls (always a favorite with this crowd), Christmas lights and whisky containers everywhere. They have an extensive and comprehensive whisky menu. I ordered another one of my new favorite ciders and for dinner I got the Whiski Burger which is a cheeseburger with haggis on top, smokey bacon and a smokey whisky and onion chutney. It was VERY good.

Whiski burger and some other options at the Whiski Bar

Whiski Burger and me

After dinner we walked the Mile one more time then went to our hotel for some sleep.

Ireland/Scotland Trip - Day 4 The Irish Wedding

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The ribbon used in the knot tying ceremony has their married name and initials.

Ok, so staying up until 5am is not always the best idea when traveling. You spend all sorts of money to get over here only to be too tired to do the things you have planned. But lucky for me, the only thing we had planned was to get ready for the 4pm wedding that was steps from the Dairy that we were staying in. We did consider driving the hour to Kilkenny, do some shopping and visiting the castle but it was pouring rain all morning. The four of us all got up, had breakfast then went back and took a three hour nap. It was glorious because the rain pitter patted on the roof, the sheep were dotting the fields out my window and I was able to catch up on lost sleep and rid myself of any remaining jetlag.

Entering the chapel. There were candles tucked into nooks in the walls even.

At about 3:15 we got up and started getting ready for the ceremony. The 11 of us not getting married gathered in the little chapel like area. My cousin and her fiance made beautiful choices from the music, to the decor to the poems and speeches. They did some very Celtic and ancient ceremonies including "tying the knot" with a beautiful handmade rope. The whole thing took just under an hour. Then we all filed back out, walked around the corner and back into the "She Been" which has a massive fireplace at one end and a bar at the other. Champagne was opened and we had some yummy passed appetizers. There was lamb meatballs with tzatziki sauce, little hamburger sliders and some goat cheese and caramelized onion tart.

Lighting candle ceremony.

The vows.

After some socializing, lots of toasts and champagne sips, we went and had dinner in the glass enclosed room opposite the house from the one we had tea and breakfast in.

The dinner table

I had the pancetta wrapped chicken but lamb was an option as well.

There was scalloped potatoes as well.

The creamed spinach was particularly good. Too bad I was so full most of the time!

The hired band set up and started playing some traditional Irish music. We all took various photos with the bride and groom then the awesome band played a lovely rendition of True Colors for the first dance. They next played what they called a "Fodder Dodder" song for the father-daughter dance.

First dance of the bride and groom

Once the formal dances were over we had such a great time with the excellent band. They played trad Irish songs that we all knew and they also led us in some roaring good dances. Some people had a bit more to drink than others and it became apparent when we were trying to follow the new-to-us dance steps which made everything even more fun. I do not have one decent photo of the band because I was so busy dancing to them. If you are reading this blog in search of a wedding venue and you choose Ballybeg House....you must ask T, the host, about the band she recommends because they were just wonderful.

The best photo I have of the band from the wedding.

The band played until just after 10:30 that night. The "younger" ones of us used the outdoor hot tub then played more Cards Against Humanity (which I failed at miserably, I guess I do not have my finger on the pulse of the kids of today?) all night. I made it to bed at the much earlier hour of 3am this time!

Ireland Trip 2018 - Day 3 - Arriving at Ballybeg House

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Our last day in Dublin, we had yet another wonderful breakfast at the hotel. I have not felt hungry for this whole trip because I have been eating and drinking like crazy. Despite that, I always have room for a large European breakfast. Why is it that things just taste better over here? I mean, even the porridge aka oatmeal is incredible. For this breakfast I went straight for the items I liked the most from yesterday's breakfast. That means lots and lots of bread and butter. I make bread at home and it still never tastes as good as it does here.

Walking through where they make the wonderful blankets.

Pretty flowers on the grounds

More loomy things

The beautiful table set for tea.

The sandwiches. The egg salad was out of this world.

The sweets. The cake was a fluffy and light angel food cake not too unlike a strawberry shortcake

The dairy where we stayed.

View of the grounds

My room that looked out over the grassy fields and sheep.

Pods where the younger members of the group spent a lot of time.

Chapel from front door

Chapel from where the people get married at...the altar if you will.

Pub nearest Ballybeg House The food was not too bad.

The two man band.

2018 Ireland/Scotland trip - Day 2 Full day in Dublin, Ireland

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Breakfast, glorious breakfast!!!

My favorite thing about traveling in Europe is the breakfast. I always make attempts at emulating them when I get home but it just isn't the same. Bread tastes better. Butter definitely tastes better. Everything is fresh and real tasting. The Morrisson hotel in Dublin, Ireland does not disappoint. We got up around 9am and all went down for breakfast. I did wake up at 3am like I thought I might since I went to bed at 8pm but I managed to fall back asleep for another few hours. I sure needed it. Breakfast is included with our room. We were able to choose from the menu and/or self serve from the breakfast room. Mom and I ordered a vanilla scented french toast from the menu to split. We all ordered coffee then we started out into the breakfast room to see what it had to offer. There was enough items on display that Dad was able to have a full Irish breakfast. I was in the mood for a more vegetarian meal. I started with porridge with honeycomb that I scraped myself. I added sweet and plump raisins to that as well. I also had loads of bread. Man, all bread over here is so freaking good! I had some white bread, grain bread and a croissant. I added some ham and brie to the plate to round out a possible sandwich. I couldn't pass up trying a hazelnut yogurt either. It was all amazing. I always fill up as much as possible on the included breakfast because it saves money later in the day when I skip lunch.

Crispy, gooey french toast. Even the porridge was out of this world!

After eating more than our fill, we headed out to Trinity College. We got to the Long Library where they house the Book of Kells a little early for a Sunday. I sometimes forget that on Sunday in most places in Europe, you should always check to see what is open and what is not. There is usually at least a special schedule for Sundays because it is often taken off.

This is the page that the book was open to but I could not take a photo of the original. Look at those colors though!

We decided to do a little shopping while we waited. I bought a Nicolas Moss serving dish, some perfume, a few gifts for friends and the BF and more. Once it drew closer to midday we made our way back to Trinity College and got in line. We only waited about a half hour to get in which is actually pretty good. We walked directly to the Book of Kells. They display a different page every day. My brother joked about the possibility that it could be the same page as the last time I was there. It was a new page to me, luckily. I was not able to photograph the actual page but I managed to find the same page in a coffee table book and took a photo of that instead.

The Long Room Library and in the center is the Brian Boru Harp, the inspiration for the national symbol.

After enjoying the beautiful detail and colors of the Book of Kells, we walked the length of the Long Library. It is such a lovely library full of wood and old books. There are cases of historic books from a long time ago on display in the center of the room under glass cases. I think they turn those pages as well each day. At the end of the library there is the original Brian Boru Harp that inspired the harp that represents Ireland today. You see this harp not only on Guinness products but on flags and badges everywhere.

Beautiful, irresistible donuts!!

Worth every penny of the 3 Euro

After the library tour we walked down Grafton street. I could not resist buying a Ferraro Roche themed donut at this crazy donut shop. We shopped our way back to the hotel where the boys took a nap. Mom and I headed back out in hopes to visit The Leprechaun Museum. It turns out that you can only visit the museum if you go on the tour with the "storytellers". We did not have the time for the full 45 minute tour so we....you guessed it...went shopping! I got myself an Aran sweater because...when in Ireland you must do that.

This is the sweater I bought.

This is the ornament I got. Isn't it cute?

We went back to the hotel, changed into our fancy duds and grabbed a taxi to the prestigious Shelbourne Hotel. We had High Tea reservations for 4:15 and got there just in time. It was a fantastic tea. Our reservation got us a 2 hour seating with 4 tiers of delicious food as well as all and any tea we could drink.  The hotel and the Lord Mayor's Lounge are decorated absolutely beautifully. The flower arrangements are like sculptures and the Lounge where they serve tea has a gallery wall full of paintings on loan from the Irish National Gallery. It was very recently remodeled and has a quiet but elegant feel. We all opted to have the Champagne Tea which comes with a large glass of Laurent Perrier. When we were half way through our champagne the towers of food arrived along with our tea. I chose the Yunan Black Mao Feng which is a Black tea said to have a malty, fruity flavor with no bitterness. I quite liked it. My brother had a white tea. After I had the first bottom two tiers, I switched to the same white tea whose name I forget unfortunately but it was nice and light.

The little cakes.

The set menu for tea

The butter, jam and the glorious clotted cream. I used two of those tubs on my little scones.

The tea selection, (one page of a few)

The delicious sandwiches.

The top tier of sweets.

The whole tower barely fit into one shot!

The tea menu is set and starts with two scones per person and a warm ginger cake on the bottom. I spread a little jam on each half of each scone then topped it with a good dollop of clotted cream. I am talking about one inch high of the cream because it is my favorite thing in the world. So good! The sandwiches were so fun to eat as well. Most were tasty, specially the goat cheese and tomato on pumpkin bread which I thought would have the least flavor but was just the opposite. The third tier had two cakes, one a cheesecake and one a poppy seed shortbread cake.

On the top tier there was a very chocolaty eclair and a visually stunning panna cotta. I wanted to finish with the panna cotta to have it as a palate cleanser of sorts but I could not fit any more food into my body so I had to leave it. If guests can not finish all four tiers, they box up the remaining bits for you to take home which makes me think this is a common occurrence.

I was so happy to touch a little lamb I couldn't even open my eyes apparently

We were all so full that we decided to walk back through Grafton Street to get home instead of taking a taxi because we needed to move around a little. Since we are in Ireland, we could not resist stopping in another cozy, adorable pub called The Long Hall for one more pint. The Long Hall is another beautifully decorated old pub with dark wood on the walls and old prints and guns hanging for decoration. I liked this bar because, once again, there were not a lot of tourists. There is something a little disappointing to come all the way to Dublin and then hear American accents. This trip I feel like there have been a lot of Italians also. But it is the Americans who seem to stand out the most because often they are the loudest in the room. We finished our quiet drinks and headed home to change out of our fancy clothes.

Me at the Long Hall

The Long Hall in the light...Photo from dailyedge

On our walk home we went back down Grafton street where there seems to always be street performers, activists and others. This walk we came across an animal rescue group who had adorable dogs for adoption and even a lamb! I got to pet the lamb. Good little lamby. We took a little detour on our way home to stop to take photos at the Brazen Head which is the oldest pub in Ireland (dates back to 1198). On our way home from that we encountered a rainbow which was pretty cool.

Me at the Brazen Head, Dublin, Ireland

The boys, once again, napped while Mom and I went out shopping. I had wanted a Guinness Christmas ornament that my brother had gotten when they visited here a few months ago. They were sold out of them at the brewery but I found a little shop in The Temple Bar region that had them. I was thrilled. I also found an Aran sweater that had a style I really liked so I splurged on one for myself. I wanted to buy the BF one but he thinks they are too plain looking. I think he would look really good in one of those old fisherman looking sweaters!

A double rainbow right over Dublin.

After the good haul of shopping we gathered the boys up and went out in search of some Traditional Irish Music. We wandered around a little until we heard Irish music coming from a bar with Irish people standing in front. We got a table at the Trinity Bar and had more drinks and some appetizers. The food was very good. My parents each got a seafood chowder and my brother and I split the fried potato skins which were loaded with cheese.

After drinks and some good Irish music (although a bit too loud) we walked back to our hotel and went to bed.